We are so happy to welcome Ambassador DeLisi onto our Board of Advisors! DeLisi served as United States Ambassador to Uganda, Nepal, and Eritrea and now heads the Soarway Foundation. In a reflection on joining Team MCN, DeLisi wrote:

"In countries across the world today we hear people voice concerns about the 'ticking time bomb' posed by the youth who comprise, sixty, seventy or even eighty percent of their national population. In many of these nations the young people who comprise the bulk of society are excluded from political leadership and remain marginalized. They struggle to live lives of dignity and productivity and to have their voices heard. Inadequate education, health care, and job opportunities fuel anger and disillusionment. Often dismissed or discriminated against because of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, or faith, they believe that the narrative of their future will be one of hopelessness and despair.

We know that we must help to change that narrative but the problems are daunting and if experience is a guide, beyond the ability of governments alone to solve. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are a step in the right direction but more is needed. As global citizens we need to build new partnerships, become more entrepreneurial in our problem-solving, and recognize that youth are not a problem to be solved or a force to be feared but a resource to be engaged and encouraged.

The Millennium Campus Network understands this and I am inspired by their effort to harness the energy, innovative thinking and passion of young people to meet the challenges that will define their generation. MCN empowers young people across the globe to become constructive agents of change in the effort to tackle social and economic development issues that transcend national boundaries. Action oriented, and recognizing the importance of ethical and value-driven engagement, MCN is helping to build a generation of international leaders and partners who understand that our shared effort can make a difference. We can touch lives, change lives, and save lives. We can break cycles of poverty and despair. But it will take energy, passion, determination and vision. That is what the Millennium Campus Network offers and that is why I am honored to be part of the MCN movement."